Surely this has been coming for a while, but news today that an artificial intelligence program to be used by doctors can identify domestic abuse. It works by collating the results from many studies on domestic violence into one program that will alert doctors to the likelihood of domestic abuse based on the health patterns of the patient. Injuries such as bruising to the core of the body or the middle of the forearm can be indicators as is depression and the onset of alcoholism. It is believed that many health practitioners are sometimes so focused on treating a condition, that the context is often missed. This software will act as a red-flag, and is said to save victims up to six years of unrecognised abuse. For more information click here.
There are more slaves in the world today than ever before. This figure continues to grow with the 2.2 million children sold into slavery every year. Documentary film Call + Response ventures where no cameras have gone to uncover the slavery and sex trade booming in the brothels in Cambodia, the slave brick kilns of rural India and the streets of Bangkok. This movie shockingly reveals that, in 2007, the world’s slave traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined. Various celebrities and music-industry figures have supported the documentary, including Cornel West, Daryl Hannah, Ashley Judd and Nicholas Kristof, to reveal this shocking truth via music. As the documentary points out, music is part of the solution. Just as the slaves in North America once did, Dr Cornel West connects slave music to the popular music we listen to today to create a rallying cry and end to slavery across all continents. Call + Response opens nationally October 22.
Long before “Big Brother” was a reality TV-show; it was introduced into the wider vernacular by revolutionary author George Orwell, and this month we celebrate the sixty year anniversary of his timeless classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Without a doubt, Orwell’s work is one of the most influential and socially significant novels of the modern era. First published in 1949, it tells the tale of protagonist Winton Smith living in a dystopian world, where Big Brother, the Thought-Police and incessant propaganda have eroded any hope of collective freedom for the citizens of fictional super-continent “Oceania”. Orwell’s themes are manifold, and his bleak prediction of a world ruled by fear and oppression served as a timely reminder to the potential tyranny of state authority. Continue reading ‘big brother turns 60′
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell is the President of the William V.S. Tubman College of Technology - located in the “City of Harper” in Liberia. Dr. Davis-Russell, having just retired from work in the USA, has chosen to, instead of simply “retiring”, to share her wealth of knowledge and experience from a life in education with a community that desperately needs that assistance.
As a result, Dr. Davis-Russell and her husband have packed up their worldly belongings and moved to Liberia, where they have managed, with the help of a lot of fund raising, to re-build this college of higher education. Continue reading ‘education “building” in Liberia’
I want a dog. This is not a flight of fancy, or a fleeting canine craving only conjured up when face-to-face with an abnormally cute puppy. I know it’s going to be hard. I’ve seen the RSPCA ads; a pet is for life. But my eyes are open and I am ready.
Considering I am someone whose idea of commitment is going halves in a new esky with her boyfriend, I wouldn’t blame you for questioning my thinking on this one. (NB. the esky was for glorious dog-friendly picnicking, not irresponsible alcohol-induced hedonism). My perpetual Geminian wanderlust and heart-shaped musings have shadowed me since the day I started making my own decisions in life and I am fully aware of their presence. Continue reading ‘love of hounds’
The Global Financial Crisis. The Economic Cyclone. The Political Shitstorm. The Global Recession. Regardless the brand of cloak this event is given, 2008 will forever be known as when it emerged. The year the market said “No more”. But as Thomas L Friedman writes in the New York Times, what if, in a softer voice, planet’s ecosystems are also saying “no more”. He writes “We have created a system for growth that depended on our building more and more stores to sell more and more stuff made in more and more factories in China, powered by more and more coal that would cause more and more climate change but earn China more and more dollars to buy more and more U.S. T-bills so America would have more and more money to build more and more stores and sell more and more stuff that would employ more and more Chinese … ” We now know the script. Continue reading ‘what were you doing in 2008?’
Tonight Australian philosopher Peter Singer spoke at the State Library of Queensland as part of the 2009 Ideas Festival. Though Peter’s areas of passion and expertise range from The Ethics of What We Eat to Animal Liberation, his focus in this particular lecture was global poverty, and how it can be eradicated through action from individuals within the community. Peter makes his point very simply: “If we could easily save the life of a child, we would. For example, if we saw a child in danger of drowning in a shallow pond, and all we had to do to save the child was wade into the pond, and pull him out, we would do so. The fact that we would get wet, or ruin a good pair of shoes, doesn’t really count when it comes to saving a child’s life. UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, estimates that about 27,000 children dieevery day from preventable, poverty-related causes. Yet at the same time almost a billion people live very comfortable lives, with money to spare for many things that are not at all necessary. (You are not sure if you are in that category? When did you last spend money on something to drink, when drinkable water was available for nothing? If the answer is ‘within the past week’ then you are spending money on luxuries while children die from malnutrition or diseases that we know how to prevent or cure.)” With his new book The Life You Can Save (the proceeds of which will be donated to Oxfam), Peter is trying to change this based on the premise that if everyone who can afford to contribute to reducing extreme poverty gave a modest proportion of their income to effective organisations fighting extreme poverty, the problem could be solved. Continue reading ‘the life you can save’
If you were asked on the spot, “how far do you have to travel for a glass of water?”, many of you would reach out to a glass or bottle that you readily have by your side. This bottle may also be carried everywhere with you, prepared for those instinctive urges to take a sip every few minutes so not to risk dehydration. Once you have finished this bottle of water which, might I add, is on average a quarter of your recommended daily intake, you will not be troubled to find access to a fountain or tap to fill it up with clean, filtered water. For those who don’t bother to recycle, you will be a stones throw away from the nearest IGA situated on every corner of every street in the city, so it seems. Continue reading ‘water with a difference’
Yesterday I stumbled upon one of the coolest places to be on a sweltering morning in Noosaville. With A-Grade air conditioning bouncing off dark grey slate floors and sliding up walls of books stacked to the ceiling, the new {Embiggen Books} on Weyba Road makes for a soothing refuge from the outside world. It’s only a few weeks shy of its three-month anniversary but looks like it will become one of those stores that locals attach themselves to with sturdy safety pins, especially with the hearty Organika cafe and wholefoods shop next door (try the papaya and banana fruit smoothie - deeeelicious!). Embiggen’s catch cry is: “Where science meets art”, and to that end it stocks an inspiring collection of art and science tomes (it’s already the largest science bookstore in Queensland and the third largest in Australia) and you’ll also find a sexy selection of mainly non-fiction books dedicated to design, religion, philosophy, the environment, economics, atheism, and skepticism. One wall is saved for use as a fine art gallery and I fell instantly and deeply in love with the works by current exhibiting artist, Silvi Glattauer, from Melbourne. Her six nature-based photographic pieces (image inset) are printed on 100 percent cotton ragpaper using museum grade archival methods, which makes for a textured and eerie glow to the unadulterated images. Embiggen will host regular artist talks with local and visiting artists, scientists and philosophers, and is also the new HQ for the newly established Sunshine Coast Skeptics Society to promote critical thinking about life, the universe and everything in between. On January 21, Peter Ellerton, winner of the 2008 Prize for Critical Thinking will speak to the topic Bullsh*t Detection for kids, for life. If you want your thinking to be challenged, head for arguably the coolest new store in Noosa.
The key to happiness is looking up. Alex Ostrowski, a recent graphic design graduate from the University of Bristol, discovered this piece of advice when talking to a friend who had suffered from depression. His friend was advised to look up into the sky and count chimneys when he was feeling down, as the extra light absorbed by the eyes triggers the release of endorphins, which promotes a sense of wellbeing. So when Alex was offered the chance to print a small run of business cards for free, he decided to spread a little happiness instead. The result is Look Up, which are 250 printed cards that he distributed through the city of Bristol. On one side, he printed the scientific explanation of why we should look up in order to enhance our mood. On the other, he printed a simple photograph of four chimneys set against a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky. What a wonderfully simple example of how to create positive change through design.
2007 Winners, Scotland
Now in its fifth year, the Homeless World Cup is coming to Federation Square, Melbourne, in the first week of December. Created by The Big Issue founder Mel Young, the Cup aims to bring international attention to homelessness and to significantly change the lives of its participants (77% do per tournament). The program uses sport as a catalyst to transform lives, by reconnecting homeless and marginalised people with the community and working to rebuild players’ confidence and self-esteem. For the host country, eight people were selected from around Australia. Street Socceroos Coach George Halkias praised the passion and commitment of players: “Our Australian players have seized the opportunity to make positive changes in their lives, and will be able to stand proud on the world stage.” “Players have been selected not just on their soccer skills alone, but on their dedication and commitment to a regular soccer training program, which encourages team work, discipline, and the commitment to making positive changes in their lives.“ You can help too. Simply make a donation, buy a shirt, or cheer on the Street Socceroos.
Imagine taking waste and turning it into caviar. One bright spark did. Graham Wiles began the Able Project in the UK to “close the recycling loop” whilst providing skills and jobs for marginalised young people. Cardboard is rescued from restaurants, shredded and sold as horse bedding. When the horse bedding needs replacing it is picked up and composted at a worm farm. The worms are then fed to sturgeon at a fish farm, which produces caviar. The caviar is sold back to the restaurants where the cardboard was originally sourced. Ten young people were employed for 12 months and learnt about aquaculture and vermiculture. A great example of thinking win-win-win-win.
“To me, making a tape is like writing a letter - there’s a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You’ve got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention ….and then you’ve got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can’t have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs and…oh, there are loads of rules.”
In High Fidelity, John Cusack’s character Rob expresses much of his feelings through collating Top Five lists and mix tapes. Labouring over each song and its placement, Continue reading ‘ode to the mix tape’
Richard: “This is totally different for me… to me it’s brand new.”
“When I bought my house I just - it was credit sourcing - I had to produce a credit report.”
Interviewer: “So in this whole process, what’s the first time someone’s looked at your finances?”
Richard: “Today… Today.”
In a telling finish to a fascinating 60minute program published by Chicago Public Radio (with an impressive website), Richard, a mortgagee, reveals to the journalist that it is only now, when being quizzed by a staff member of a National Community Aid Centre, that he has ever disclosed his annual salary (and for that matter been aware of its total). Even more chilling is the fact that his mortgage broker falsified his salary in order to earn a higher commission from selling Richard a house he couldn’t afford. The mind blowing fact is that this happened to millions of people across America whose fraught mortgages were bought by investment banks hoping to make money on home owners like Richard’s repayments.
This first of two episodes, is titled the Global Pool of Money and is produced by This American Life. The journalists explain the background to what triggered the current American economic collapse. They talk to people who were actually working in the housing, banking, finance and mortgage industries, about what they thought during the boom times, and why the bust happened.
It’s a fascinating and frightening account of greed and the direct correlation between John Citizen and Wall Street. I urge you to listen. Act 2 is even better.
There’s a good excuse to hunker down on the couch tonight: at 9:30pm, ABC will screen Playing in the Shadows, the latest project by young award-winning Australian documentary filmmaker, Sascha Ettinger Epstein, who teams up here with Marco Ianniello. The past few years of Sascha’s life have been spent in squats, halfway houses, refuges, on the streets, and most recently on basketball courts nestled in between the notorious housing estates of Woolloomoolo. It’s not that Sascha doesn’t have a home – she does, it’s in Sydney – it’s just that when she tells a story she commits to getting to know her subjects and allowing them to trust her implicitly to tell their story. For her recent doco, The Oasis: Australia’s Homeless Youth (screened on ABC in April this year), Sascha spent two years on and off the streets following homeless people, many young girls and boys, who slid further into the chaotic world of drugs, alcohol and violence with every new day. Her first doco, Painting With Light in a Dark World, followed the life of eccentric Kings Cross street photographer Peter Moyle; it won a bunch of awards including Best Short Documentary at the San Fransisco International Film Festival 2003. Sascha is known for confronting modern day social issues in the most raw, respectful and mesmerising way, and reminding us that individuals are at the heart of every story. Each time I watch one of her pieces it’s a sure thing I’ll cry but I also know that somewhere in between the tears I’ll experience moments where all I can do is laugh.
Calling all bloggers with a social conscience! Join the global conversation about poverty by taking part in the second annual Blog Action Day, this Wednesday 15 October. Any individual or organisation can register to join. Bloggers are asked to post words, podcasts or videos about poverty - in your own voice and style, and in a way that is relevant to your blog and audience. The idea is that the blogosphere will raise awareness of and influence public discussions about issues of poverty. Last year more than 20,000 bloggers participated in the inaugural event, which focused on environmental issues. There are stacks of ideas on ways to participate, including supporting The Global Fund and Kiva. Blog Action Day was co-founded by Australian blogger Collis Ta’eed of the mighty FreelanceSwitch and is supported by many of the world’s popular blogs and social action network, Change.org.
Buenos Aires is the psychoanalysis capital of the world. Even the therapists have therapists. Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Day or Blue Day, which aims to educate unaware individuals on mental health issues – an often-taboo topic. Imagine if the world looked at the importance of mental health like the residents of Buenos Aires, where therapy sessions cost about $20 per hour and it’s normal to see a shrink? An estimated 450-million people living around the world suffer from a mental or neurological disorder. Yet, these illnesses remain some of the most unrecognized and under-reported health problems. Continue reading ‘world mental health day’
I attended a talk last Friday by Ross Garnaut, sponsored by CEDA, the Committe for Economic Development of Australia. The audience was made up of a large cross-section of CEOs, business analysts, insurance brokers, accountants, corporate sustainability advisers, general managers, media representatives, environmental group spokesperson’s, energy traders, resource sector barons, carbon neutral entrepreneurs and a particular past Prime Minister with a flock of hair so white, you’d swear it had been enhanced in Photoshop.
Garnaut only had an hour. But what he summarized and how he answered the following questions from an impassioned, curious floor, was utterly compelling. As Carl offered to readers of Street Editors in a previous post, the report is a lengthy document. At 600pages it is the most comprehensive study done to date, incorporating the most sophisticated modeling scenarios ever undertaken, to indicate alternative futures extending out to the end of this century. To put in perspective, it goes beyond The Stern Report and anything the IPCC has published thus far. This places Australia at the leading edge of having the knowledge to act, adapt and prosper. The following is a summary of points and the chapters you can read to learn more. Continue reading ‘what if?’
